Today, 25(OH)D less than 12 ng/mL is considered evidence of severe vitamin D deficiencyThe severity of vitamin D deficiency is divided into mild, moderate, and severe. [ 18] Mild deficiency: 25-hydroxyvitamin D less than 20 ng/mL. Moderate deficiency: 25-hydroxyvitamin D less than 10 ng/mL. Severe deficiency: 25-hydroxyvitamin D less than 5 ng/mL.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › books › NBK532266
An unhealthy deficiency, experts say, is considered blood levels of 17.8 nanograms per milliliter or lower. Of the 1,800 study participants known to have died by Dec. 31, 2000, nearly 700 died from some form of heart disease, with 400 of these being deficient in vitamin D.
Today 25(OH)D level below 30 ng/ml are considered as insufficiency, values lower than 20 ng/ml as deficiency and values below 7 ng/ml as severe deficiency.
Vitamin D deficiency — when the level of vitamin D in your body is too low — can cause your bones to become thin, brittle or misshapen. Vitamin D also appears to play a role in insulin production and immune function — and how this relates to chronic disease prevention and cancer — but this is still being investigated.
The odds ratio of being hospitalized if having severe vitamin D deficiency was 4.57 (95% CI 1.83, 11.4) (p = 0.001).
In the long term, a severe vitamin D deficiency may lead to chronic health problems. In children and adults, low vitamin D can cause bone deformities – in children, it can cause rickets, while in adults it can cause a similar condition known as osteomalacia (soft bones).
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with sudden cardiac death, combined cardiovascular events, and mortality in haemodialysis patients. It is known that patients with dialysis experience an excess mortality, mostly due to sudden cardiac death (SCD).
Vitamin D Levels
Healthy Bones Australia recommends a vitamin D level of at least 50 nmol/L at the end of winter and during summer higher levels are common in the range of 60-70 nmol/L.
Vitamin D deficiency has been found to be associated with a variety of cancers, including prostate, multiple myeloma, colorectal and breast cancer.
Levels of 50 nmol/L (20 ng/mL) or above are adequate for most people for bone and overall health. Levels below 30 nmol/L (12 ng/mL) are too low and might weaken your bones and affect your health. Levels above 125 nmol/L (50 ng/mL) are too high and might cause health problems.
A vitamin D level of 8 ng/mL is considered severely deficient. Severe deficiency can occur from prolonged, inadequate intake of vitamin D, limited exposure to sunlight, poor kidney function, or inadequate vitamin D absorption.
Vitamin D deficiency occurs when the body doesn't get enough vitamin D from sunlight or diet. Vitamin D deficiency can cause loss of bone density, osteoporosis, and broken bones. Vitamin D is sometimes called the sunshine vitamin because your body makes it from cholesterol when your skin is exposed to sunlight ( 1 ).
Symptoms when vitamin D is low
Fatigue. Not sleeping well. Bone pain or achiness. Depression or feelings of sadness.
In general, the two main causes of vitamin D deficiency are: Not getting enough vitamin D in your diet and/or through sunlight. Your body isn't properly absorbing or using vitamin D.
[9,10] Low vitamin D leads to bone abnormalities (e.g., osteomalacia, osteopenia, and osteoporosis) and worsens muscle strength. [11] In otherwise healthy individuals, fatigue can be a manifestation of low vitamin D levels and its impact on reduced maximum functioning of skeletal muscles via vitamin D receptors.
A: The upper tolerable limit is 4,000 international units (IU) daily, and the recommended amount for women 14 to 70 is 600 IU per day. Women 71 and older should aim for 800 IU per day.
Vitamin D3 supplements are thought to raise vitamin D levels in the bloodstream in around 24 hours. However, it takes up to 7 days for this to be converted into the active form of vitamin D – which is what a blood test will pick up.
Growing evidence has demonstrated that vitamin D has a role in sleep regulation [12]. Specifically, vitamin D deficiency (VDD) can increase risk of sleep disorders and is associated with sleep difficulties, shorter sleep duration, and nocturnal awakenings in children and adults [13,14,15].
Left untreated, vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteoporosis in adults, rickets in children and adverse outcomes in pregnant women. It may also be linked to heart disease, diabetes and cancer — although more study is needed on the topic.
As summarized in Figure 1, vitamin D deficiency has been mechanistically and clinically linked to neurological diseases and neuropsychological disorders, cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative diseases [20,29,30,31,32,33,34].
Low vitamin D levels are associated with autoimmune conditions such as Hashimoto's, hypothyroidism multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, and even Parkinson's disease.
Therefore, conditions that affect the gut and digestion, like celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis, Crohn's disease, and cystic fibrosis, can reduce vitamin D absorption.
Sunlight is actually the most efficient way to get your daily recommended dose of vitamin D, as your skin is quite effective at producing it naturally when exposed to ultraviolet light from the sun. For most adults, ten to twenty minutes in direct sunlight is enough to absorb enough vitamin D for the day.